Updated information on the PIPE is available on the USMLE website at www.usmle.org.
Issue Thirty-Nine - January 2, 2004
USMLE™ Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) Pilot Exams
In preparation for the implementation of the USMLE Step 2 CS examination, each of the five regional Clinical Skills Evaluation Centers (CSECs) in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston, will be conducting a Pre-Implementation Pilot Examination (PIPE) during the weeks prior to the opening of that center for live CS testing. The PIPEs are being conducted to complete the training of standardized patients, to provide opportunities for center support staff to refine the logistics of the examination, and to ensure that all aspects of CS administration go smoothly from the very first day of live testing.
Examinees participating in a PIPE will go through a series of encounters with standardized patients (SPs) that will be very similar to what they will experience when they take the actual USMLE Step 2 CS examination, although the number and mix of cases may differ somewhat from the live examination.
The participants in a PIPE will have the opportunity to gain a first hand sense of how the examination works, what the test centers are like, and how the testing day will unfold. Participants will also receive some limited feedback on how they performed on the examination, but this feedback is not meant to be, and may well not be, predictive of actual performance on the Step 2 CS examination.
Participation in a PIPE will be restricted to examinees who are eligible for and registered for the USMLE Step 2 CS. On completion of registration, U.S., Canadian and international medical students and graduates will be directed to a website (or given a telephone contact) where they can learn more about the PIPEs, including the location and dates of PIPE testing and dates when PIPE scheduling will first be available. There will be no fee charged for the PIPE, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation and related expenses.
Scheduling for PIPEs will be on a first come, first served basis, although there may be some restrictions imposed in order to assure a representative mix of participants across all CSECs. There will be spaces for approximately 400 participants at each CSEC. Registration for the USMLE Step 2 CS examination will become available in January of 2004 and examinees interested in participating are encouraged to register early and then check the PIPE website regularly for updates and announcements regarding opening of PIPE scheduling.